Petit Climbing Center__________Petit Outdoor

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Petit Outdoor is established in Malaysia since 1999.
Co.registeration no JM 0303699-M and registered with the Ministry of Finance (KKM 357-02061741).
Our team personnel are experienced professionals in outdoors/rock climbing and rope access industries.

China had been long told for its sheer landscape beauty and various ethnic people with intellectual invention that were invented by them such as compass and gunpowder.(just to name a few).

Being a Muslim, it is written in the holy “Quran” to find knowledge and wisdom from as far as China.

In 2002, I was given the opportunity to follow my path to China. It was really unexpected as I had never thought that my climbing passion would take me there.I was invited by the China Mountaineering Federation to participate in the First International Chongqing Cliff Climbing Competition.

Subsequently on the 29th of April 2002, I took flight to Guangzhou and another connecting flight to Chongqing, the 4th largest province in China. The weather at Chongqing is cold like the highlands in Malaysia.. It is located by the Yangtze river and have an average of 30 millions people.. I can see lots of floating hotels by the river . I saw no foreigner on sight and i could even be the only Malays here. Lots of people stared at my dark tan skin as I sort of contrast from the public.

Chongqing is a big town and is having a speedy growth as a result of the three river gorges dam that was built near its town. I was told that soon, tourism industry will increase as huge cruise ships will be able to sail up to its town . Here, you can witness the meeting of modern and old traditions along its streets. There’s still food hawker that uses bamboo stack at their shoulder to carry foods and amenities in between the shops that sell high tech electronics devices. I stayed at Jintai Hotel overlooking the river and after breakfast with climbers from other nation I was taken to the jetty of Chongqing town and took the ferry to sail upriver for 7 hours for the cliff competition venue. Throughout the journey the ferry pass steep gorges and many small villages. Whenever theres a bridge built connecting the gorges , a small town is visible. The scenery was as perfect if not better than I had imagine of the inner china. Lots of caves along the gorges with bonsai tree sprouting from its cliff and water gushing out of the cave.

A few hours pass by and the haze was now at our altitude. Every time the ferry pass by a huge gorge, the scenery changed as if I’m leafing through a fairytale book. We reach a small town called Wu Jiang for lunch where I was interviewed by the CCTV representatives and were told by them that we are the first foreigners/climbers to be taken to Wu Jiang. Even some of the Chinese official have never been to this remote places in China. We continued our journey and I could see a lot of agriculture's activities along the river. Apples, and more apples orchard besides vegetables and orange were spread through along the delta rivers. These rivers were the source of life for the people living among them. Along these gorge I witness the ancient road that were built by digging through the rock cliff. These ancient road is as high as 3 meters and slightly wider than a bull cart. What amazed me more is that these so called ancient road was as long as I can remember. Whoah!

These Chinese are really ambitious people and always plan anything possible and do it even though it will take them a generation or two to finish it.! Respect!!Finally at 5 pm I reached a small village by the river called Gong Tan. Estimated founded in 1743, it is a small village by the river in a place called Yuyang. The province is Chong Qing.These old village by the river is famous for its salt trade. In the old days, villagers from the other remote parts of the river will come to Gong Tan to get their supplies of salt. The altitude at Gong Tan was at 1100 feet.

We had a very warmth and surprising welcomed as the whole villagers wave with flags and waited for us along the rivers. I do feel very much appreciated !! The view from our boat was breathtaking with whole villagers waving towards you while on the right there’s these huge 70 meters posters on these 150 meters cliff rock face of our cliff climbing competition venue. We were taken to our hotel located by the river, overlooking these beautiful cliffs and to top it all out we were the hotel’s first guest. I could have never imagine to have these type of privileges. Thank you China Mountaineering.!!

Another day passed and after a good breakfast we were taken for a tour along the old village of Gong Tan. These villages along the river were made of pine trees which dated back 260 years ago and some old ones are made without nails. Some of these old house can be as high as two storeys. The path between these beautiful houses were made of solid rocks that were stacked and arranged accordingly. I felt as though I was walking through a time tunnel taking me back to the old Chinese world.

After lunch at the hotel, it was free and easy. I took this opportunity to explore more of this village. In the middle of this village there s a small spring water that has been flowing ever since. They built a small pool out of it and believe me it tastes cold and fresh with a mild taste of sweetness. During my exploration, I was invited inside one of the villagers house. From the moment I enter, I could see the kitchen, bedroom and even the living room are all in one room. I sit at the living room and were serve Chinese tea and sesame seed snacks. I told them no “sek fun” which means no food please in Chinese. I was sitting with an old guy ,two middle ages man and an old lady. Neither of us can communicate since they do not speak or know English and my Chinese was very,very bad. They started showing me pictures of the mountains nearby, old coins and even old photos of their ancestors. Today, I experience that communication has no barriers.We communicate a lot using gestures, sketches and photos. It was fun and we laughed together a lot. As I was about to leave, I was serve with a bowl of hot water with sugar and an egg boiled in it. These taste very strange to me but I manage to finish the bowl. I bid farewell to my new friends and went back to the hotel.

Competition DayThe small village had been overcrowded by peoples from other villages that came to witness us!! News about the competition were being aired live on China TV network. I witness a colourful opening ceremony with dances ,performances and fireworks. I was to be lucky climber number two. I will be competing with the world top climbers such as Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell of USA, Lee Jae Young of Korea and Roman Bagirov of Russia just to name a few. The route to climb is a 50 meter of rock face and there’s a time limit. I climbed up till 45 meters during the time I was asked to stop. The route is not hard ,maybe 6C but the condition of the wet rock as a result of raining the previous night with a time limit of 5 minutes makes it more challenging, there is even a bolt ladder section on one overhanging rock. As predicted Chris Sharma emerged the winner.

Next day was rest day and all the climbers were taken to a place named Youyang which is a 2 and half hours bus ride. The view along the countryside was breathtaking with padi fields, vegetables and fruits orchards as far as the eye can see. The morning breeze haze was always at our altitude. Our bus traveled along and through ancient dug out tunnels alongside limestone's hill and gorges. We were very lucky indeed since during the 1st till 7th of May, it is a public holiday in China and almost every province had some kind of festival. We got to witness the colourful hand waving dance. We were also taken to a place called “tao hwa yuan”, its and old Buddhist temple with tea houses. First you enter a huge entrance of limestone cave, and once you’re inside you witness the towering limestone towering around you just like the coliseum in ancient Greece. I climbed the steps up the limestone's hill to an ancient tea house and further up the hill to an entrance of another cave with curtains of water flowing from the top. Awesome!!

We were back in our hotel for dinner and were told that tomorrow we are going back to ChongQing town for our wall climbing competition.I spend my last night exploring Gong Tan village and was invited for folk dancing with them .The dance was a bit like ballroom and poco poco. It was really fun and interesting to be able to have fun with no racism or language barrier involved. World without strangers indeed!! Almost the whole villagers join in ….old lady and men, young lady and men, boatmen/boat women, small kids and even grandma and grandpa.About 20 villagers accompany me back to my hotel. Even though I only knew them for a day or two, I will remember and missed them . Goodbye and thank you for all the kindness and hospitality given. Only God will repay for all of their kindness and I do hope I will get to visit them again someday.

Next morning before we leave the whole staff of the hotel had a photo session with each of the competing nation. However,I was not on the picture as I was out early in the morning jogging along the old village breathing the fresh air but I do get to sign my national flag for them. The hotel manager told us that they will frame and hang the flag and photos as a gesture that "Malaysians" will always be welcome and have another home in these remote part of China.

Yes, I do feel at Home indeed!! Malaysia ,we have another home here!!.“The Beautiful Riverview Village of Gong Tan.”.

Monday, September 8, 2008

I came to know of Nenek Semukut aka Twin Peaks from a magazine given to me by a friend who worked at Tioman Island Resort. ( now named Berjaya Tioman Island Resort) Amazed, thrilled and inspired by its immense height and beauty, I silently made a pledge to climb it someday. In 1996 climbing these tall peaks would be unthinkable for the Malaysians climbing community. Technical and Rock-Climbing in Malaysia is still in its infancy and everytime you climb at the rock, you will always see the same familiar faces. We had only one climbing area which we called “petronas” located left of the hindu temple at batu caves and behind petronas station. We had our first hand of technical climbing in 1992 and by 1995, we built our first plywood climbing wall stated at jalan tun razak near the kampong pandan circle and opposite of RHB Bank. The wall is situated at what we called then “rumah Persatuan Mendaki Malaysia”(house of Malaysian Mountaineering Association, MARFIMA)In 1997, Malaysia reached the top of Everest, but Everest and Big Wall climbing is totally two different games. Both are highly technical and dangerous in their own way. The Malaysian climbing community is evolving and I am honoured to be a part of it!

In October 1998, supported by the Ministry of Youth, I was chosen by the Malaysian Mountaineering Federation to polished and deepen my knowledge and climbing skills from the experts in France. With the new skills learnt from the French Mountaineering Federation, I was certified as the 1st Degree DiplomeTrainer and my secret dream of climbing the peaks were kept alive.From 1998-2000, I spent much of my weekends, vacations and personal funds, traveling to and from Tioman. Studying, photographing the mountain, planning my route to the summit and keeping my dreams secretly.

I met Roszaman (Man) in 1998 while routesetting and conducting national climbing courses in Malacca. This is my first task/duty immediately after I came back from France. The national competition was held in conjunction with the U.I.A.A ( Union International of Alpinist Associations ) meeting held in Malacca. It was Man’s first introduction to sport/technical climbing and It was not until the year 2001 that he ever knew of my big wall plans. Man quit his day job as maintenance at a hotel in Malacca and stayed with me at my parents place in Johor Bahru in 2001. My bank account was getting empty from weekends climbing trips to Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur and Tioman trip and in june 2001, I arrived at Tioman …again but this time accompanied by Man. Due to the lack of funds, my equipments was extremely limited. Man being a relatively new climber did not have any equipment with him. We had barely a full set of nuts and cams, slings made out of discarded rope, but neither portaledge, pitons nor any gear considered standard for big wall or aid climbing. To some we are regarded as brave, but foolhardy.

Based on my earlier surveys, I decided that the prominent west ridgeline, indicated by a reclining stone pillar, exhibited the most obvious climbable route to the summit. However the thick moss and lichen lining the shady lower reaches, makes any climbing futile. We spent the nights at its steep based cuddled among the roots of tress that were exposed by the wind.

Searching for a way through, we traversed the base to the right, beginning our ascent on the south face, dry and extremely exposed to the sun. After reaching 150m of height the wall grew increasingly steeper and the surface smoother. We were force to concede, realizing that without more equipment, we could no longer continue. However, resolute in our goal we rappelled to the ground, retrace the base, made camp and prepared or second attempt, this time somewhere between south face and west ridge.

Finding a narrow entrance, leading above the tree line and onto the wall, we set the first two pitches before nightfall. We fixed our ropes and rappelled down to camp for the night.Over the next two days we struggled up the wall, hauling heavy gear packed into self-made haulbags, sewn from sugar gunnysacks. We spent the night on an airy ledge, tying ourself to the rock and resting, not in portaledges, but in common nylon hammocks! The first night passed slowly, suffering from cold and exposure.In the afternoon of the third day I reached a passage, where the crack system which I had followed for two days, gradually narrowed, finally disappearing for a length of 10 meters. Such an irony to have a 500 meters climb halted by a comparable short distance. I named these last pitch “Maghrib” as when I climb, it was near to Maghrib as I can hear the azan(prayer call) echoing from the mosque from Mukut village below.( maghrib-a time for muslim to pray at arrival of dusk ,sometime at around 7pm) Freeclimbing the blank face above this proved to be too great of a challenge for me. I traversed to the right, searching for a detour around this tricky passage.

Resignation eventually sunk in, there was no way around. We were forced one more time to abandon our vertical journey. Defeated, we rapelled back to ground camp, consoled only by the knowledge that it had been lack of pitons and aided gear, not skill that cost us our bid for the top. I resolute to return, the summit will not elude me so easily………………………….In 2002 , well equipped and with three support buddies, we reached the summit on our national day (31st August 2002).( Read the articles Evolution-Malaysia'a first Big Wall climb)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Day 1 ~ Embark on a boat trip to Kg Mukut from Mersing jetty. Arrive and start trek along the virgin jungle to the base of the Dragon’s Horn. Experience adrenaline pumping Climbing/Jumaring* to 1st bivy/camp at the wall. Amazed by the eagles eye view from high above the wall. Spend the night breathing the cold breeze hanging at the rockwall in a portaledge or hammock. You will normally be accompanied by million of pin pricking stars.

Day 2 ~ Start ascending/abseiling to the base of the Dragon's Horn. Trek down to Kg Mukut Spend the night at chalet in Kg Mukut, Enjoy fresh seafood barbeque.

Package inclusive of accommodation, food, climbing equipments, climbing guides, porters and boat transfer to and from “Mersing” jetty.Reservations to be made 7 days prior to date of trip.Maximum of 4 persons per trip. Call us at 019-71 66 222 or e-mail arinpetit@yahoo.com for bookings and enquiriesNote: jumar~ an action of climbing the ropes using climbing equipments.Non climbers will be given a free courses on jumaring techniques.portaledge~ short for portable ledge/hanging tent.

Petit Outdoor had been involved with the rope access industry since 1999.

We are committed in providing a safe, practical and cost effective solution to our client’s problems at height. All access and work is undertaken professionally and the portability of our system allows us to be anywhere quickly and effectively.Work at heights services includes :-~ Inspection, NDT, photographic or video inspection.~ Maintenance, cleaning, painting, minor repair,final touch up .~ Installation of signage,electrical/mechanical devices at height.~ Installation of Communication devices at height~ Industrial Rescue Services.

Petit Outdoor ensures the highest quality in terms of service and equipments provided.
All work undertaken is executed in a timely and safe manner.

Our climbing wall package is as low as Malaysian Ringgit 7,000.00. ( seven thousand ringgit only ). However we advise you to contact us for further details as the program/event of climbing activities can be cater according to your needs.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

It was 5 years ago since I had the opportunity to lead in any big climbing expedition. Now, I’m sitting in front of another spectacular peak, deep in the heart of Borneo and the main peak of one mountain range called “Tama Abu “. Batu Lawi is the crown of this mountain range at an elevation of 2043 meters located in the district of Limbang at Sarawak, Malaysia. It had two sandstone peaks separated by the saddle. The lower sister peak can be reached by steep trekking and a bit of scrambling near the top. From the top of the sister peak you can see the main peak towering in front of you. This main peak is my destination ! Our expedition was tagged “Puncak Merdeka Batu Lawi Expedition”.“Puncak Merdeka” means the Independence Summit and we were climbing in conjunction with Malaysia’s 50 years National Independence celebration. The climbing team consist of Ajiz and Chaun from Multimedia University, local boyband singer Zam and myself. We will be accompanied by the national tv crew documenting the climb along with our support team. 6th August 2007 Woke up early to catch the flight at 5.45 to Miri. The adventure begins! We transit at Miri and board another flight to a small inner town named “ Lawas”. Flights connection to inner town from Miri uses the “Twin Otter” which is a two fan engine plane with a maximum of 20 passengers including the pilots. From Lawas, it took us another 5 hours of 4wd along the timber road before reaching “Raven’s Court Camp”. This is the last logging camp deep in the jungle. The elevation was at 1400 meters and the temperature had lowered to 20 degrees. Here, we met with our guide/porters Tawi,Sakai,Panai and Lasung from another small town called “Bakelalan”. 7th August 2007 We drove for another two hours before hitching a ride on the bulldozer for a 35 minutes ride climbing the steep mountain . By 3.15 p.m The main climbers, porters and the tv crew start to trek . Our support team decided to stay behind. After an hour of trekking, the jungle changes to dense mossy forest known as “kerangas forest” . The weather is cold with healthy moss everywhere from the ground to the branches of the trees. By 6.00 p.m we were given with the view of Batu Lawi from the north and 20 minutes later we reached our base camp somewhere in the middle of the trek. 8th August 2007 We continued trekking to the saddle, and at around noon we noticed the trek that we followed had brought us to the north/west of Batu Lawi which is not what we planned. The view is nice though! We stationed the tv crew at one point while the main climbers and guide set to find the way to the saddle. After much rough trekking through thick kerangas and wild thorns we reached the saddle at around 3.15pm. We stayed at the saddle for 15 minutes and head back to our previous base camp. Minutes later 2 of our support team with two porters arrive with barking deer which they had hunt the day before. Tonight will be warm as a result of the deer meat we ate. 9th August 2007 The tv crew headed back down the mountain at 10 a.m while the rest of the team head for saddle. We reached the saddle late evening with only two bottles of water to spare. Tomorrow, we wont be able to climb the main peak since we are lack of water but our porters volunteer to get the water needed as not to waste our time to climb. These porters are the unsung hero of our expedition. I respected them for that. By 8.30pm, Tawi and the gang arrived with all the water needed. 10th August 2007 On the south face corner of the main peak we climb/scramble a dehidral slab full of vegetations to a small ledge. I climb another 5 meters of rockface to a bigger ledge where we find clean rock with crack system. I climb this vertical crack for another 30 meters before ending the day at 6.30 p.m. Everybody head down to saddle by 7.45 p.m. When we reached the saddle the rest of our support team had just arrived from base camp. 11th August 2007 By 12 p.m we started our pursuit and each of us took an average of 30 minutes to reach to our previous highest point. Hauling all the gear, water and porteledges is no easy task. We were slow and tired but very determine. By 2pm everybody reached the big ledge just below the vertical crack. I jumar to yesterdays highest point and continued climbing. 8 meters above I came across 5 meters of chimney and climb pass a small roof to a 7 meters of bridging and another 10 meters of dehidral before a slab and some vegetation. I sneak pass through the vegetation and was thrilled to found a cave. The cave is 10 by 10 meters of rock that lies towards the main peak. One side of the cave entrance is facing the east while the other is facing the south. Either from both side you will get a breathtaking view. We camp at the east side of the cave. 12th August 2007 At dawn the first glance of the sun appeared on the right side of Mt.Murud bringing warmth on our chilling bodies. Screams of gibbons far below echoed loudly signaling the break of a new day. I continued climbing this dehidral rock of unstable huge boulders. I climb pass several small roof and traverse to the right at a corner and into another dehidral and decided to set our porteledge. I climb another 18 meters before coming down at 4.15 p.m as it begins to rain. I could see there’s another 10 meters of climbing before we reached another flat kerangas bushes. The rain continued till 6.15 p.m and immediately after, rainbow appear and cloud gathers resembling a dragon flying below and around us. The view was spectacular. These cloudy forest are in danger of extinction as a result of the global warming. These clouds are also the reason of the seldom disappearence of Batu Lawi from the naked eye hence the ethnic people dubbed it as “Misty Mountain”. It was already 6.30 p.m when the crickets starts singing signaling the daylight is over and welcomes the night. 13th August 2007 I climbed this badly protected dehidral and pass a small roof to another 20 meters of dehidral crack of loose rock before reaching a small kerangas ledge where we set our anchor. It rains and Zam and I squad and stayed close together near to the rock avoiding the rain and chill wind. I continued climbing another 25 meters of chimney which gave me a beautiful view of the sister peak below . This chimney begins with a finger crack that widens to the width of 2 meters. At the end of the chimney there’s a traverse to the right across thick kerangas bushes. Climbing these overhanging kerangas bushes is very risky and scary experience as they seems to let loose every time you hold on to them. I had to grab another bushes of kerangas before it breaks and most of the times I had to dunk my hand deep to the level of my elbow to get a firm but still not solid grip. At some point I felt as if I’m swimming in them. Once reaching the top of the kerangas it rains again. It’s impossible to get any vocal communication between Zam and me so both of us just stay quiet, shivering from the chill wind and dripping drops of rain. We climb yet another boulder and the wall open up it’s upper section of the kerangas. After 15 minutes of kerangas bushwacking we reach a big ledge where you could see the south and the east. We were at an elevation of 2030m and on top of us looks like another 20 meters of rock that leads to overhanging kerangas bushes and then hopefully………………the summit. We set our ropes here and abseil down to our portaledges, by now every inch of our body was aching and screaming from exhaustion but the thoughts of reaching the summit tomorrow kept our spirits high. The “Summit” 14th August 2007 Everybody woke up at dawn and started ascending to the highest point. We scramble through thick and wet kerangas to the right of the rock face for half an hour and had expected to reach the summit. To our surprise there’s another section of 4 meters of rock to climb . We did not bring our climbing shoes as we thought there will be no more rocks to climb . This section is not difficult but given the expose view of the land below and climbing damp rock with wet sport shoes, it still gives us the shivers. On my left there is this long drop possibly to the saddle and on the right this long deep crack of mossy rock heading down to the unknown. I reached the top of the rock and was happy to see we had reached the top. By 10.05 a.m the whole team reached the summit. We were glad that we made it to the summit and I personally was happy that my dream to climb this peak have been fulfilled. We sang our national anthem and waved our national flag with pride . This main peak of Batu Lawi has waited for 50 years for a Malaysian to step on its summit and this is our way to contribute and share the joy of independence with the whole nation. “Happy 50th National Independence Day Malaysia!!!” this is for you!!! We started ascending by 12 afternoon and everybody were back at the saddle by 5.pm. 15th August 2007 The next morning before leaving the saddle I glance one more time at this beautiful and spectacular peak and appreciates all the lessons I’ve learnt. I’m glad that its over but look forward for the next adventure………………………..

Monday, June 30, 2008

It all began in the year 1996 when, leafing through a magazine, I saw an aerial photo of Nenek Semukut, an awesome 690 meter granite spire towering above the jungle at Kampong Mukut on the southern tip of Malaysia's Tioman Island. That peak, and another lesser pinnacle, are collectively known as the Twin Peaks, or the Dragon's Horn. From the moment I saw it , it became my dream to climb Nenek Semukut.

In June 2001, a friend of mine, shared my enthusiasm and decided to attempt the peak, but lack of funds meant our equipment was extremely limited. Our attempt came to a halt at 300 meters, but we were determined to return better equipped and succeed.

It took me a full year to put the next expedition together. Because no Malaysian had ever climbed a "Big Wall" like Nenek Semukut before, we had trouble persuading gear manufacturers to sponsor us. Eventually, with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Johor State Sport Climbing and Outdoor Association(OUTCAXT), the expedition began to come together. Sponsors were found, and the Malaysian Mountaineering Federation lent us camming devices, pitons, nuts. We also recieved fleece inners from a previous Everest expedition - to keep us warm on the rockface at night. Three support climbers; Abdullah Danial a.k.a Pakla, Akmal Noor and Al Haleq, would follow us to the summit, hauling the equipment up after us.A week before the climb we had a press conference, and suddenly everybody knew about us. With the whole nation watching us, our personal deadline of reaching the summit on August 31st (Malaysia's National Day), immediately took a new significance.

The AscentOn August 25, we were finally on our way. A two hour catamaran ride brought us to Kampong Mukut, and from there we trekked through the jungle for two and a half hours to reach the base of the mountain. With each of us carrying 35 to 40kg of food and equipment, this was no easy task. We camped at the foot of Dragon's Horn, preparing for the following day's climbing.

Early the next morning, we began our assault. We free climbed 60 meters until we reached a large roofed ledge, where we set our ropes. We then descended to the base to hold discussions with our support team and volunteers from Mukut.On August 27th we hauled 110kg of gear and supplies up to this ledge, which would be our home for the night. It turned out to be home to hundreds of nesting birds as well. The noise as they all took wing was like a low flying aircraft over our heads. We had no portaledge, so during the evening, lying in hammocks tied securely to the rock, we entertained ourselves by communicating with the people of Mukut using torchlight. As we flashed our torches towards the coast far below, our friends replied, pinpricks of light flickering back from the jetty, houses, and even from fishing boats leaving before dawn.On August 28, the real climbing began; a difficult section of the wall, including a technically tough crack, took us the whole day to climb. As we climbed, a fog rolled in, completly blocking the view of the sea, trees, and even the belay team 10 meters below me. I felt as if I were climbing through clouds. At 6pm, we gathered on a tiny 2 X 3 meter ledge; our second bivouac. Our bodies were aching, but limited space did not allow us to move, so the night passed slowly and uncomfortably.

August 29th dawned, and the climb continued. Hoping to reach a larger ledge for our third bivouac, we forged ahead, but the wall was playing with our heads now. This section was a sloping blank face with many small cracks, and eventually we were forced to stop at a very small cavelike ledge big enough for only two people to sit with their legs dangling.It was midnight before the rest of the team reached us. Abdullah and I slept on the ledge, while Man, Akmal and Haleq set up hammocks on a sloping rocks few meters below. We had precious little time to rest though, and at 4:30 am our willpower was tested to the limit. A thunderstorm hit us with no warning and we lay soaked, silent and shivering with cold as the lightning and thunder crashed around us.

The fifth day of the climbing involved real concentration and mental commitment. It was difficult to place pitons, and we had to climb long runouts from one protective piton to the next. I finally reached a garden like terrace of stunted trees, where the whole team set up the fourth bivouac. From here, we could see a line of about 120 meters that would lead us almost to the summit.The final day broke clear and sunny, and we set to our tasks confidently; but at around 560 meters, I nearly came to grief. I had placed a piton 7 meters below, and was trying to grasp a handhold on a 30 degree overhanging face when suddenly the rock broke away. I toppled backwards, and as if in slow motion, could vividly see first the blue ocean, and then Man as I fell about 14 meters. The piton held, and despite some bruises, scrapes and a swollen ankle, I thanked God that I had escaped any serious injury.After freeclimbing about another 100 meters, we came across a tricky scrambling section of about 25 meters before emerging in a garden of bushes, bonsai trees, and pitcherplants.

At 1:30pm on National Day, I summitted on the Dragon's Horn. An hour later, the rest of the team were standing on top. Five days of hard work culminated in a proud moment as we waved our national flag for the camera. It took us eight hours to abseil down, but our hearts were still up in the clouds for many days